Mamma Mia! (2008)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Phyllida Lloyd

Writers:

Catherine Johnson (screenplay)
Catherine Johnson (musical book)

Release Date:

18 July 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Take a trip down the aisle you'll never forget

Plot:

The story of a bride-to-be trying to find her real father told using hit songs by the popular '70s group ABBA.

Plot Keywords:

Breaking The Fourth Wall | Paternity | Aphrodite | Title Sung By Character | Based On Musical

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Amanda Seyfried	...	Sophie Sheridan
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Bill Anderson
Pierce Brosnan	...	Sam Carmichael
Nancy Baldwin	...	Sam's PA
Colin Firth	...	Harry Bright
Heather Emmanuel	...	Harry's Housekeeper
Colin Davis	...	Harry's Driver
Rachel McDowall	...	Lisa
Ashley Lilley	...	Ali
Meryl Streep	...	Donna Sheridan
Julie Walters	...	Rosie
Christine Baranski	...	Tanya
Ricardo Montez	...	Stannos
Mia Soteriou	...	Arina
Enzo Squillino Jr.	...	Gregoris

Also Known As:

Mamma Mia! The Movie (UK) (promotional title) (USA) (promotional title)
Mamma Mia! (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sex-related comments.

Runtime:

USA:108 min | Argentina:108 min

Country:

UK | USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:PG | Australia:PG | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Sweden:Btl | Netherlands:AL | Finland:S | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44470) | South Korea:12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Norway:A | Portugal:M/6 | Hong Kong:IIA | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | South Africa:PG

Filming Locations:

Agios Ioannis Chapel, Skopelos, Greece

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

In the stage musical (and soundtrack of), Bill has the last name Austin instead of Anderson.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where Donna is repairing the shutter with a cordless drill, there is not a bit in chuck, so there's no way it could "repair" the shutter. The empty chuck is visible in subsequent scenes with the same drill.

Quotes:

Harry Bright: What's the father of the bride usually do at these things?
Tanya: Pay. Of course my father drew the line at my 3rd marriage.

Soundtrack:

Mamma Mia (Reprise)

Utterly joyous

I like, but don't love, musicals - my DVD shelves contain a selection, but the stuff there is pretty obvious: Singing in the Rain, King and I, Wizard of Oz, Moulin Rouge etc.. I'm not a Meryl Streep fan - I admire her craft, but mostly haven't liked the parts she's played. Conversely, I've always like Abba's music. So that's my starting point when considering this movie which I have just been to see with my 80-year old mother.

The story is a piece of fluff. Sophie, who lives with her mother in a dilapidated hotel on an idyllic Greek island, wants nothing more than for her father to be at her forthcoming wedding. The trouble is her father could be any one of three men with whom her mother dot dot dotted twenty years ago. So Sophie invites all three of them to her wedding and, as expected, complications ensue. The story, such as it is, is quite strong enough to enable the songs to be hooked onto it. And the songs, with one or two obvious exceptions (Money Money Money cued by the rundown state of the hotel) are very cannily worked into the story so that each one is relevant.

The film looks great. The Greek locations overflow with sun and primary colours. The script is mostly fairly deft, and there is a sprinkling of decent laughs.

But the film ultimately stands or falls - and it stands, believe me! - on two things: the music, and the cast.

The music - sitting through this film brings home the strength of the Abba catalogue. There isn't a weak song among the two dozen which feature on the soundtrack. The music, produced by composer Benny Andersson, mostly wisely sticks very close to the original arrangements, and the occasional divergences (Greek bouzouki on I Had A Dream, for instance) are spot on.

And the cast - well, they deliver. Brosnan's singing has been criticised, but he is always in tune, and he delivers a satisfactory vocal performance rather than dazzling with a polished singing technique (which he hasn't got). The four leading women are all wonderful. Julie Walters and Christine Baranski as Meryl Streep's two oldest friends are both very funny (Julie Walters has a particularly funny little bit of business in a rubber boat), and Baranski has her own knockout number. Amanda Seyfried as Sophie is simply delightful - she sings well, carries the plot and all the emotion which goes with it, and is very easy on the eye. And Meryl Streep is a revelation.

This film is an utterly joyous experience. My old Mum and I came out of the cinema buoyed up by the experience of watching it, and I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone who enjoys musicals and/or Abba's music.